Total expected to die from coronavirus in US plunges by 10,000 as declining cases in Spain and Italy give hope
THE total expected to die from coronavirus in US plunged by 10,000 as declining cases in Spain and Italy give hope during the crisis.
The US is still 10 days away from its COVID-19 peak – but new projections from the University of Washington’s (UW) Institute for Health Metrics indicate there will be less fatalities than expected.
Health experts and the White House Coronavirus Task Force had previously said 100,000 to 240,000 people could perish even with social distancing.
UW estimates 81,700 people will die in the spread rapid spread but this number is 10,000 less than previous projections.
Dr Deborah Birx, a member of his coronavirus task force, had said the falling death rates in Italy and Spain in recent days, was “giving us hope on what our future could be” Sunday.
And officials have expressed doubt over whether the White House’s gargantuan estimate is viable as the disease infects nearly 350,000 Americans as of April 6.
Dr Anthony Fauci, Robert Redfield, director of CDC, and even Vice President Mike Pence’s office have reportedly questioned the projections, which eclipse the Vietnam War casualties and 9/11.
But UW’s predictions also indicate that the disease will peak in 10 days when 2,644 people will die in 24 hours, leading to what’s been described as another “9/11 moment” for America.
Their research indicates the nation is days away from running out of resources when the demand for hospital beds surges to 262,092.
The US currently has 87,674 less beds than this number as the US prepares for a “very deadly period.”
A sea of coronavirus patients will result in the need for 39,727 ICU beds – but the stark new projection estimates this is 19,863 more than we have.
But Trump said he hoped that the disease would “level off” after the looming apex, describing the dip in cases over the weekend as a “good sign.”
“In the days ahead, America will endure the peak of this pandemic,” the president said Sunday.
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It has since emerged that not everyone was adhering to the vital social distancing guidelines which will influence how many COVID-19 fatalities there are.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is upping the fine to $1,000 for coronavirus rule breakers in his state extending the state shutdown until April 29 to mitigate the spread.
The US now has the third-highest number of officially acknowledged deaths from the deadly illness, following behind Italy with more than 16,500 deaths and Spain with 13,000.
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